‘Wake the Lake’ returns at Clark County Fairgrounds this weekend

After a successful first year, the ‘Wake the Lake’ F1 Powerboat Championship is returning to the Clark County Fairgrounds this weekend.

Drivers from across the country, as far as Houston and California made the long journey to Springfield for the race they said they wouldn’t want to miss.

“We were in Seattle, Washington, last weekend racing and I really didn’t care about that race. I cared that I could get everything loaded up Sunday night because we had to be here for this event,” said Chris Fairchild, a champion racer from just outside of Chicago. “You can’t get a better venue than this lake.”

Fairchild drives a 250-horsepower F1, or Formula 1 boat which can run up to 120 miles per hour and takes 90 degree turns on a dime.

“If you’ve seen it on TV and you’re like, ‘whatever’ — come down and watch it, and I dare you to lean up on the fence when we come in the corner,” he said.

“Regardless of your age, you’re gonna feel like a kid watching those formula boats in the water,” he said.

He anticipates it’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making a home for powerboat racing in Clark County and the benefits it brings to the grounds.

“Because of the boat race, we have a cross country course. Because of the boat race, we’re building a new dog barn. So many things are happening because of the boat race, and the dominoes that it connects,” he said.

Gates for the race will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Also new this year, ‘The Naked Karate Girls,’ a Midwestern band, will perform a concert at 6 p.m. on Saturday. General admission tickets to the race are $20, and kids 12 and under are free. Small coolers are allowed.

Thank you for reading the Dayton Daily News and for supporting local journalism. Subscribers: log in for access to your daily ePaper and premium newsletters.

Thank you for supporting in-depth local journalism with your subscription to the Dayton Daily News. Get more news when you want it with email newsletters just for subscribers. Sign up here.